President Biden was poised on Wednesday to sign a bill that expands health care benefits for U.S. veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Known as the PACT Act, the legislation is the biggest expansion of veterans’ health care and benefits in more than 30 years, the White House said in a statement on the signing.… read on > read on >
Most older U.S. adults are prepared to roll up their sleeves to get an updated COVID-19 booster shot once one becomes available, a new poll shows. About 3 in 5 (61%) people over 50 who have gotten at least one dose of COVID vaccine say they would get an updated booster that offers protection against… read on > read on >
What if a rare viral illness with the potential to cause excruciating pain was in fact treatable, but the only drug for that use was nearly impossible to get, despite being in plentiful supply? That is precisely the dilemma now confronting thousands of monkeypox patients across the United States. “I was in so much pain… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Megan Buchholz groggily read the notification from her smartwatch. Its vibration had roused her out of a deep sleep. At 3 a.m. on a Monday this past March, she read an alert that said the device identified an irregular rhythm suggestive of atrial fibrillation, or AFib,… read on > read on >
Even a “small” nuclear war, far short of a global conflict, could kill much of the world’s population due to starvation, a new study projects. Any nuclear war would have obviously devastating effects in the places where it was waged — obliterating cities, instantly killing huge numbers of people, and contaminating local soil and water.… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2022 (HealthDay) — As at-risk Americans stand in long lines across the country, trying to get the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, U.S. officials on Tuesday announced they will modify dosing instructions for the shot to help stretch the supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that instead of sticking with a standard… read on > read on >
Swapping salt out for the salt substitute potassium chloride lowers blood pressure, and thereby the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease, a new analysis finds. “It’s in processed and prepared foods where most people in developed countries get their salt,” explained senior researcher Dr. Bruce Neal, executive director of the George Institute for… read on > read on >
One of the most disturbing symptoms of COVID-19 has been the sudden loss of taste and smell. Worryingly, some people don’t regain these senses after recovering from their infection, raising the question of whether they’d ever again be able to taste and smell. Now there’s good news on that front — about 9 out of… read on > read on >
Cigarettes are still responsible for far too many cancer deaths every year in the United States, a new study finds. In 2019, nearly 123,000 U.S. cancer deaths were from cigarette smoking (30% of all U.S. cancer deaths), leading to nearly $21 billion in annual lost earnings. These losses were much higher in states with weaker… read on > read on >
A chemical called perfluooctane sulfate (PFOS) has been linked to the most common type of liver cancer, a new study indicates. PFOS are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, and are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly and accumulate both in the environment and in human… read on > read on >
